Category: Totally Unofficial Guide

[Editor’s Note] The Capitol Hill Block Party is back once again. Frequently referred to by some as Straight Pride™, or at least as one of the loudest and most public symptoms/causes of gentrification on the Hill, it’s still a great place to hear some great live music.

Technically speaking, summer doesn’t begin until the Summer Solstice on the 20th. That said, Seattle recently experienced a straight week of sun and I’ve already been told by two separate individuals that my shorts are inappropriately short, so for all intents and purposes, SUMMER IS HERE!

After a year of hype, immense amounts of money spent, and the announcement of an obscenely large lineup, Upstream Music Fest + Summit is finally here. Paul Allen’s bloated brainchild will light up Pioneer Square from Thursday till Saturday with a host of shows, panels, and lectures.

Frankly, it’s hard to look through the festival schedule without seeing something worth attending or watching. But, for those who can’t commit to attending 10 days worth of films and activities, we’ve put together a Totally Unofficial Guide of our picks.

Are you ready for Emerald City Comicon this year? Like usual, there’s a ton of panels and content to be found, and I’ve scoured it all to find the most relevant content for LGBTQ folks, both official and after-hours events.

While Twist may be an unfamiliar name for you, you’re surely familiar with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and their annual Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. They rebranded as Twist: Seattle Queer Film Festival this year to better reflect the inclusivity in their programming. Their film selections are as strong as ever, with a huge variety of films over 11 days (October 13 – 23) at Capitol Hill and downtown Seattle locations.

Finding other queer folk at PAX or hunting down LGBTQ-oriented content can be a struggle, so here’s a list of the most queer-relevant PAX content we could find, including both panels and events at the con and parties afterwards.

What’s a Northwesterner to do to find another weekend of celebrations and LGBTQ parties to live up to June’s Pride mayhem? Vancouver Pride is your answer, with a huge array of parties and events to rival any other major city.